US7018063B2

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US7018063B2
Application number: US10/718,570
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenneth George Michael; Vernon George Michael
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-11-22
Filing date: 2003-11-24
Publication date: 2006-03-28
Also published as: CA2450522A1; CA2450522C; US20040100794A1

Abstract

A solar powered lighting assembly for attachment to an eaves trough mounted on an outer wall surface includes a lamp, a rechargeable power source, a solar panel assembly, a mounting bracket and a connector arm. The rechargeable power source is connected to the lamp to provide operational power. The solar panel assembly is coupled to the rechargeable power source to provide electrical power for recharging the rechargeable power source. The mounting bracket is coupled to the inside surface of the eaves trough and is used to support the rechargeable power source and the solar panel assembly. The connector arm is coupled to the lamp and is adapted to be removeably coupled in between the eaves trough and the outer wall surface.

Description

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/428,276, filed Nov. 22, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a solar powered lighting assembly, and more particularly to a solar powered lighting assembly adapted to be mounted within an eaves trough.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional exterior pot-lighting are commonly used to achieve a desirable decorative soft ambient look for the outside of residential and retail buildings. In fact, halogen pot lights and other forms of high quality recessed lights have become the industry standard.

These kinds of external lighting assemblies often involve complex installation procedures, especially when there is insufficient house or building wiring available to power external lights. In such cases, electricians are required to assist in the design and installation processes and permits are required in order to make adjustments to the electrical work in a home or retail building. When installing lighting to the exterior of a home or retail building, a certified electrician is required to survey the home and inspect the existing wiring to ensure that the building and current wiring meets the specifications and requirements in order for them to proceed. The entire process is time consuming, inconvenient and expensive and the investment made is usually only for the period of time during which a building is occupied.

Further, since industry standard lighting sources are not always the most energy efficient light sources, installation of such lighting sources can result in high installation fees and a substantial increase in associated electricity costs. Additionally, the use of expensive light sources (e.g. halogen) for outdoor lighting applications can result in costly and disruptive damage and breakage due to adverse environmental conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides in one aspect, a solar powered lighting assembly for attachment to an eaves trough mounted on an outer wall surface, said lighting assembly comprising:

- (a) a lamp;
- (b) a rechargeable power source coupled to said lamp to provide operational power to said lamp;
- (c) a solar panel assembly connected to the rechargeable power source to provide electrical power for recharging the rechargeable power source;
- (d) a mounting bracket coupled to the inside surface of the eaves trough for supporting said rechargeable power source and said solar panel assembly; and
- (e) a connector arm coupled to said lamp, said connector arm containing at least one wedge-shaped protrusion for securing the connector arm between said eaves trough and said outer wall surface.

The invention provides in another aspect, a lighting assembly for attachment to an eaves trough mounted on an outer wall surface, said lighting assembly comprising:

- (a) a lamp;
- (b) a power source connected to said lamp to provide operational power to said lamp; and
- (c) a connector arm coupled to said lamp, said connector arm containing at least one wedge-shaped protrusion for securing the connector arm between said eaves trough and said outer wall surface such that said lamp is positioned to provide light on the outer wall surface.

The invention provides in another aspect, a kit for assembling a solar powered lighting assembly for attachment to an eaves trough mounted on an outer wall surfaces, said kit comprising:

- (a) a lamp;
- (b) a rechargeable power source adapted to be coupled to said lamp to provide operational power to said lamp;
- (c) a solar panel assembly adapted to be coupled to the rechargeable power source to provide electrical power for recharging the rechargeable power source;
- (d) a mounting bracket adapted to be coupled to the inside surface of the eaves trough for supporting said rechargeable power source and said solar panel assembly; and
- (e) a connector arm adapted to be coupled to said lamp, said connector arm containing at least one wedge-shaped protrusion for securing the connector arm between said eaves trough and said outer wall surface.

Further aspects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a bottom side perspective view of the solar powered lighting assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a side perspective view of the lamp assembly ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a top perspective view of the solar powered lighting assembly ofFIG. 1 when the solar powered lighting assembly is installed within an eaves trough;

FIG. 3A is a bottom perspective view of the lamp assembly ofFIG. 1 when the solar powered lighting assembly is installed within an eaves trough;

FIG. 3B is a side cross-sectional view of the solar powered lighting assembly ofFIG. 1 when the solar powered lighting assembly is installed within an eaves trough;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the solar panel assembly ofFIG. 1 in an open position to illustrate the internal elements of the solar panel assembly, when the solar powered lighting assembly is installed within an eaves trough;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of an alternative lamp assembly for use within the solar power lighting assembly ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the solar power lighting assembly ofFIG. 1 installed within an eaves trough that is mounted to a roof where the connector arm ofFIG. 1 extends below the roof such that the lamp element ofFIG. 1 is positioned to provide spot lighting on the external wall below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is first made toFIGS. 1,2A,2B,3A,3B and4 that show various views of the solar poweredlighting assembly10 made in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Solar poweredlighting assembly10 includes alamp assembly12, asolar panel assembly14 and a pair ofmounting brackets16.Lamp assembly12 includes alighting element18 and aconnector arm20 that is adapted to be removably secured between the outer wall surface15 of an external wall and theinside wall17 of aneaves trough19.Solar panel assembly14 includes asolar panel array22, asolar panel housing24 and a rechargeable power source26 (FIG. 4).Mounting brackets16 include aneaves trough connector28,bracket support arms30 and a brace element32 (FIG. 1).

Lamp assembly

12 includes alamp element18 and aconnector arm20. Lamp element18 (FIG. 3A) includes at least onelamp60, alamp housing62, alamp shield64 and alamp reflector66.Lamp60 is preferably an LED light source since LED light sources are relatively durable, light-weight, and long lasting due to their low power requirements. However,lamp60 can be any other type of light generating source (e.g. halogen such as the MR11 halogen bulb with a 12 volt or 24 volt transformer, incandescent, etc.)Lamp housing62 andlamp shield64 are preferably manufactured out of durable clear plastic and adapted to form a waterproof housing to protectlamp60 from environmental factors (e.g. rain, corrosion, shock impacts during storms etc.)Lamp shield64 is specially manufactured out of durable scratch resistant plastic material and acts as a protective lens forlamp60.Lamp shield64 andlamp reflector66 are used to help direct and disperse light downward andlamp shield64 is used to prevent loss of light transmission fromlamp60 throughlamp shield64.

Lamp housing

62 is coupled toconnector arm20 at one end (FIG. 2B) through arotation joint57 androtation pin58 assembly. As is conventionally known,connector arm20 includes arotation cuff59 within which is mountedrotation pin58.Rotation joint57 is rigidly coupled tolamp housing62 as shown and can be moved rotatably aroundrotation pin58.

Connector arm

20 includes a wedge-shaped section40 containing a plurality of wedge-shaped edges52 (FIG. 2B).Connector arm20 is preferably manufactured out of a durable flexible and resilient plastic material which is suitable for industrial use.Connector arm20 is adapted to be inserted and secured in position between the outer wall surface15 andeaves trough wall17 such that the wedge-shapedsection50 is positioned adjacent to eaves trough wall17 (FIG. 2B). Whenconnector arm20 is inserted between the outer wall surface15 andeaves trough wall17 and wedge shapedsection50 is positioned adjacent toeaves trough wall17,connector arm20 can be removably secured at various positions allowinglighting element18 to be positioned at various desirable distances below theeaves trough19 as will be described.

Oncelighting element18 is positioned at a desirable distance below the eaves trough19 (FIGS. 3A and 3B), it is possible to pull theconnector arm20 back slightly so that theclosest wedge edge52 engages the top surface of theeaves trough wall17 to secureconnector arm20 in place. When it is desired to removelight assembly12 from solar poweredlighting assembly10, it is possible to pushconnector arm20 up slightly while using an implement (e.g. a screwdriver) to produce a sufficient space gap between outer wall surface15 andeaves trough wall17 to allowconnector arm20 to be pulled down and disengaged without any wedge edges52 being caught on the top surface ofeaves trough19. It is also possible to break off end parts ofconnector arm20 if desired, although sinceconnector arm20 can be reused, it may be desirable to retain the full extent ofconnector arm20.

While it is preferred to use wedge-shapedsection50 to removably securelight assembly12 in between outer wall surface15 andeaves trough wall17, it should be understood that various other methods of securing connector arm in between outer wall surface15 andeaves trough wall17 could also be utilized.Connector arm20 andlamp element18 together provide for a vertically and/or horizontally adjustable light source.

It should be understood that while the preferred embodiment is designed to allowlamp element18 to be positioned beloweaves trough19 such that light is provided to the wall below eaves trough, it should be understood thatlamp element18 can also generally be used to provide light to any reasonably proximate location on the wall and thatlamp element18 can also be positioned aboveeaves trough19 to again, provide light to any reasonably proximate location on the wall.

Solar panel assembly

14 includes asolar panel array22, asolar panel housing24 and arechargeable power source26.Solar panel array22 contains a plurality of solar panels (FIG. 2A).Solar panel array22 is preferably implemented using a 0.315 Watt 0.45 volt 700 mA Multicrystalline Silicon solar cells manufactured by Photonic Energy Semiconductor Co. Ltd. In Taiwan. However, it should be understood that any kind of commercially available solar panels which convert solar energy into electrical energy could be used within solar poweredlighting assembly10, depending on their rated performance and the environmental conditions contemplated. Each solar panel withinsolar panel array22 is electrically connected to one other as is conventionally known.

Solar panel array

22 is preferably fixed withinsolar panel housing24, howeversolar panel array22 could also be moveable in various positions to provide for maximum exposure to the rays of the sun. Adjustment to a desired position could be achieved using manual or electrical control means. For example,solar panel array22 could be manually adjusted at different seasons so that the angle of the array panel is optimized for exposure to the sun. Manual adjustments could be made as seasons change and depending on geographic location of the building on which solar poweredlighting assembly10 is mounted. In another embodiment, the solar array panel may be adjusted using electronic means. The electronic means may be controlled by a remote control. In the latter case, electronic means would be included within solar panel housing24 (for example in cavity74) so that the array panel is self-adjusting and tracks the movement of the sun through the sky either continuously or based on computer programming of the device.

Power control circuit56 (FIG. 4) is a conventionally designed power circuit implemented on a printed circuit board that is used to regulate the supply of electrical power to thelamp60 as well as to regulate the flow of electrical energy from thesolar panel array22 to rechargeable power source26 (i.e. to recharge rechargeable batteries).Power control circuit56 controls the recharging ofrechargeable power source26 bysolar panel array22 to a selected voltage during the day and turns onlamp fixture18 at night untilrechargeable power source26 discharged to a predetermined voltage.Solar panel array22 is electrically connected throughwires78 topower control circuit56 and accordingly light energy received bysolar panel array22 is converted into electrical energy that is provided topower control circuit56 that in turn is provided torechargeable power source26 in an appropriate form of charge.Power control circuit56 includes a light sensor (not shown) to determine nighttime and to ensure thatlight fixture18 is not operational during the day and a manual switch (not shown) to adjust the amount of time that the light should be on (e.g. 4 or 8 hours). A red LED charge light (not shown) is used to indicate when electrical energy is being supplied by the solararray panel array22 to rechargeable power source26 (i.e. during a sunny day). Also, awire plug76 is used to interface the output power frompower control circuit56 tolamp assembly12 through power wire54 (FIG. 2B). The specific implementation ofpower control circuit56 should be understood to be conventional.

Solar panel housing

24 is used to provide a watertight enclosure forsolar panel array22 andpower source26 as well as apower control circuit56, all of which are housed within solar panel housing24 (FIG. 4).Solar panel housing24 also includes anend cover70 that provides a watertight chamber for power source26 (e.g. AA rechargeable batteries in this case) as shown. When end cover70 is removed from the end ofsolar panel housing24, it is possible to insert power source26 (e.g. AA rechargeable batteries) into the chamber withinsolar panel housing24 as shown. When end cover70 is secured onto the end ofsolar panel housing24, the chamber containingpower source26 is made watertight. It is possible to connect a DC adaptor to theDC adaptor pin72 when end cover70 is a secured position.

Mountingbrackets16 include aconnector element28,support arms30 and abrace element32. Mountingbrackets16 are preferably manufactured out of durable plastic material, although it should be understood that any durable material (e.g. stainless steel) could be used instead. The substantially C-shaped top ends of connector elements28 (FIG. 2A) are adapted to snap-fit onto the top edge surfaces of the innereaves trough wall17 as shown. Eachconnector element28 includes a groove29 (FIGS. 1,2B and3A) that is dimensioned to correspond to the width of the top edge surfaces ofeaves trough wall17. When pressure is applied to the top of connector elements28 (i.e. applied by manual pressure), since thegrooves29 withinconnector elements28 are dimensioned to correspond to the width of the top edge surfaces ofeaves trough wall17, the C-shapedconnector elements28 allowsolar panel assembly14 to be removeably but securely attached toeaves trough wall17. However, it should be understood that any other conventional coupling method (e.g. drilled holes inconnector elements28 and small screws, a tension based hook and latch mechanism, etc.) could be used to secureconnector elements28 to top edge surfaces ofeaves trough wall17.

It should be understood that while it is preferred for the present invention to use arechargeable power source26 in combination with asolar panel array22 topower lamp assembly12,lamp assembly12 could also be powered by any other conventionally available power sources that may or may not be mounted withineaves trough19. Rather, it is contemplated that more generally,connector arm20 could be used to mountlamp element18 above or below an eaves trough through the use of a wedge-shapedsection50 adapted to be positioned in between a outer wall15 andeaves trough wall17 regardless of the particular type of power source used. For example, it is contemplated thatlamp assembly12 could be powered by either an AC or DC power source which may or may not be mounted within theeaves trough19. Power could simply be provided from an AC or DC power source that is mounted below the eaves trough or on the wall. In any case, it is contemplated that the present invention also encompasses the use of a wedge-shapedsection50 ofconnector arm20 to secureconnector arm20 in the space between outer wall surface15 and eaves throughwall17 such thatlamp element18 is provided either below or above the eaves trough.

FIG. 5 shows analternative lamp assembly112 which can be utilized within solar poweredlighting assembly10. Specifically,alternative lamp assembly112 includesconnector arm120 having a wedge-shapedsection150 and alamp arm121 from which extends thelamp element118.Lamp element118 includeslamp housing162, a plurality ofLED lamps160 as well as lamp shield164. As withlamp assembly12,lamp160 is rotatable around arotation pin58 that is mounted withinrotation cuff159 that allows for manual adjustment oflamp160 as well as the light emitted fromlamp160. It should be understood that various other types oflamp fixtures18 can be used withinlamp assembly12. As discussed previously, it is contemplated that halogen type lamps could be used although such lamps would require slightly stronger support material (e.g. die cast metals) than those contemplated for the LED design discussed above (e.g. durable plastic materials).

FIG. 6 illustrates how the solarpowered lighting assembly10 looks when looking up from the ground and when mountingbracket16 is coupled toeaves trough wall17 andconnector arm20 is inserted in between outer wall surface15 andeaves trough wall17. As shown,lamp element18 is positioned such thatlamp60 is directed to shine light down on thewall surface150. As has been described the installation of solar poweredlighting assembly10 is relatively straight forward and can be accomplished rapidly and without the need to re-wire or relay electrical wires around the periphery of the building. As can be seen, solarpowered lighting assembly10 provides the ability to easily accentuate the exterior of a building with a decorative soft ambient light. It is contemplated that solarpowered lighting assembly10 could also be used to provide security lighting, commercial lighting effects (e.g. associated with advertising elements), home decorative effects wherevereaves trough19 exist and the like.

Solarpowered lighting assembly10 provides a number of advantages over commercially available external lighting assemblies. First, the solar poweredlight assembly10 can be easily mounted and removed from aneaves trough19. Second, solarpowered lighting assembly10 can be installed within requiring any re-wiring of existing electrical wiring.Solar array panel22 can be adjustable in order to maximize the exposure of thesolar array panel22 to the angle of the sun in the sky. Also, solarpowered lighting assembly10 is cost efficient and environmentally friendly which will become a more important feature as energy conservation becomes a more important priority. Accordingly, solarpowered lighting assembly10 provides sustained accessibility to sunlight and preserves the aesthetic appearance of the building.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure described above are possible without departing from the present invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. For example, various modifications can be made including improvements to lighting and LED technology, structural changes in terms of the materials used in the design, different types of solar array technology with a variety of types of solar array panels, modifications to the electrical circuitry and the selection of a suitable rechargeable power supply. The design for the lighting assembly of the present invention may be modified or varied to accommodate such changes in technology choices while remaining within the scope of the claimed invention.